2006-2007 5th seed in East, but sweep reigning NBA Champs in playoffs = factor
2008-09 7th seed in East, but take NBA champs and modern era superteam to 7 games to play in what many have considered the most entertaining playoff series in league history (at least at the time, and for many years after) = factor
2010-11 Best record in the league and MVP, ECF loss to a colluded superteam = factor
2011-12 Tied for best record in the league = factor
2013-14 3rd seed in East, DPOY = factor
2014-15 3rd seed, lost to eventual conference champs = still a factor

Purgatory since, hovering at 500 for a few seasons before going into rebuild mode, which is what a team *should* do when what they are doing doesn't work. You get rid of guys that wont be in their prime when the team finally acquires enough pieces to make a run. Now they have a lot of good pieces, but they are young as fuck and have a few dumb contracts(guess what, all teams in large market rebuilds do, that's the nature of the beast in all pro sports with very little exception historically.)

So if you're bitching about this team being bad now. Then welcome to reality, they are supposed to be bad. If you are saying they haven't been a factor since having the greatest player to ever play the game retired? Then you're obviously broken in the head, forgetting a lot that happened, and sticking to hindsight arguments that do not discount the team being a factor at the time. Just bitching for the sake of bitching.

The only argument a person can have now, is 'why haven't the Bulls formed their own super-team?' And that answer is simple. They have a shielded VP/GM that big name players don't want to play for. But if that is the case, and Bulls fans are stuck with it, the only thing left is to rebuild young, and right now they are actually following that plan after a few seasons of trying to save a bad team and cover up for spiting loyalties with, what is it 4?, prior head coaches.